"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
PRESENTS
AFRICAN UNION
*********************************************
Whereas
Whereas
Whereas
Whereas
to articulate African business aspirations and issues;
to articulate African business aspirations and issues,
**********************************
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT?
**********************************
BACK TO NEPAD FRONT PAGE
**********************************
**********************************
© Copyright 1999
Website search technology courtesy:
BUSINESS SUMMIT RESOLUTION
3 July 2002, Durban, South Africa
This summit of African entrepreneurs and business people, cognizant of the fact
that the continent is on the threshold of a new and exciting future; and aware
that this future requires the full and committed participation of all Africans,
in the continent and the diaspora; do hereby pledge our full support and
commitment to make the African development dream a reality.
African Business seeks to complement the continent's political leadership by entering
into partnerships with the public sector, regional bodies and industrialized countries,
We are aware that the leadership of the continent is re-inventing the region's
political and economic governance structures and processes to bring about new
and more effective ways of governance and doing business in the region;
This summit presents the following key business, economic and empowerment
issues to the first AU Summit for urgent consideration, noting that the list is
by no means exhaustive and that more issues may be added in the course of
regional renewal and further engagement;
1.
This summit emphasizes that the critical wealth creation objectives of
NEPAD must be driven through Public Private Partnerships,
with African business playing a lead role.
2.
The promotion and enabling of inter and intra African trade and investment
requires urgent attention by the AU as well as Governments to the high relative
financial costs of transportation in the region, tariff and non-tariff
barriers, capacity gaps and poor access to finance.
3.
The AU should establish an African Trade Regime which recognizes existing
bilateral agreements between African countries and some Western Countries and
create a legal framework that actively promote economic activity within Africa
within the framework of trade agreements such as the EU and WTO.
4.
Trade and investment facilitation by governments and the AU should be done in
close collaboration with the business community and investors, potential and existing.
5.
AU and governments should devise programmes by which African businesses
are informed in simple and understandable terms of the implication of regionaland global
trade agreements.There should be a focus on ways and means to capitalize on
international/preferential market opportunities and special facilities.
6.
The AU and African governments should promote confidence in African products.
The slogan of "Made in Africa" should be adopted and used in quality African products.
7.
This summit calls on the AU to facilitate the simplification and harmonization
of customs procedures and systems with the long-term objective of
integrating customs administrations.
8.
This summit calls for the establishment of a
NEPAD Investment and Empowerment Fund
to demonstrate commitment to the development objectives of the AU.
Key sources of financing for this fund should, at least include
privatization proceeds, African and international savings.
9.
Governments and financial institutions should undertake creative measures to
substantially expand access by African entrepreneurs, especially SMMEs, to
affordable capital. A study should be commissioned to survey
and identify best practices toward this end.
10.
The AU should establish a mechanism through which donor aid packages are
designed and evaluated to minimize and eliminate the associated
crowding out effects on local business.
11.
This summit calls on the AU and African governments to require donors to ensure
that at least 25% of donor funds be spent on local goods and services and at
least an additional 25% on regional goods and services.
Local and regional business participation has been ignored in the past,
yet this is critical to ensure maximum and balanced
effectiveness of international donor assistance.
12.
The AU should facilitate the establishment of a
Private Sector Infrastructure Forum, made up of African companies
involved in the sector. Key regional finance institutions,
such as the African Development Bank (ADB) and the
Southern Africa Development Bank (DBSA),
should be encouraged and supported to play a key role in facilitating
public and private partnerships toward greater participation
of the private sector in African development.
13.
Governments in Africa should undertake initiatives to encourage and assure Africans
who possess capital banked outside Africa to invest such capital in infrastructure and
industrial development in Africa by way of meaningful and credible guarantees.
14.
Economic and corporate governance reforms should be accelerated to enable local
business to attract capital. In this regard the AU must establish and follow-up the
establishment and implementation of a continent wide anti-corruption campaign,
including compliance measures and related code of conduct.
15.
An African Union Business Council should be formed, taking into account
existing institutions and structures, whose function it shall be:
***
to foster unity in the continental business community;
***
to strengthen national chambers of commerce;
***
to liaise with the AU in creating an
enabling environment for African Business;
***
to participate fully in the implementation of NEPAD and other
continental economic development programmes.
16.
In prioritizing the solutions to Africa's problem, the AU, African Governments
and international development partners, must give high priority to human
development as the basis for human capital formation.
Education, training, skills development and primary health care
must be given utmost priority, especially in respect of children and youth,
the future human capital of the continent.
HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis represent the single greatest
threats to our future economic development in Africa.
17.
An African Union Business Council should be formed, taking into account
existing institutions and structures, whose function it shall be:
***
to liaise with the AU in creating an enabling environment for African Business, and
***
to participate fully in the implementation of NEPAD and
other continental economic development programmes.
18.
There should be an audit of gender structures within regional/continental
institutions, to gauge their effectiveness in promoting women's economic
empowerment. Gender considerations, in terms of business and economic
development, should transverse business activities in NEPAD and the
AU in general, and be championed by both men and women.
19.
An AU development information service containing information on
African countries should be established, or if one exists, should be improved.
Current economic and demographic market information should be made easily
accessible for potential and existing investors.
20.
Registers of competencies at national, regional and continental levels should
be created to facilitate the broad-based development of an African resource
base, towards attracting direct foreign investment and promoting trade.
21.
Governments should create a Quality Assurance Framework for use
through out the continent.Furthermore more funds should be
available for research and development within the continent.
22.
The AU should in its implementation of NEPAD coopt business institutions and
support the establishment of an African Business Research Institute/Network.
23.
This African summit challenges the AU to undertake to submit itself to a transparent and systematic public performance monitoring system.
SEND US AN EMAIL:
CONTACT US
NEPAD
FRONT PAGE
Foundation for the Development of Africa
The Hosting of this Website is Proudly Sponsored by:
FreeFind.com